Cooking appliances

ABSTRACT

A cooking appliance having a bowl portion and a hotplate portion whereby differing cooking modes can be simultaneously effected by the appliance.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to cooking appliances and moreparticularly a portable appliance adapted to two distinctly differencecooking modes in the one appliance at the same time

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Portable cooking appliances such as frying pans, deep fat fryers,electrically powered woks, electric grills and frying pans are wellknown and extensively marketed to consumer households. By having a largenumber of separate cooking appliances, dependant upon the mode ofcooking involved, there is a considerable cost and storage space burdenimposed on consumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is an aim of the present invention to provide a singleportable cooking appliance having the capability of providing thecooking modes mentioned above for the range of separate specializedcooking appliances.

[0004] Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unlessthe context requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, or variations suchas “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply theinclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps butnot the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers orsteps.

[0005] The present invention provides a cooking appliance having arecessed bowl portion with a hotplate projecting substantiallyhorizontally from the rim of the bowl portion in a plane containing therim of the bowl portion. Preferably, the hotplate portion is elongate inthe direction of a diameter of the mouth of the bowl portion, but of awidth slightly larger than said diameter.

[0006] In a particularly preferred embodiment, a single heating elementis fitted to the appliance to heat the hotplate and the bowl portion,thereby avoiding the complexity and expense of separate heating elementsand heating controls for controlling the temperature of the hotplate andthe bowl portions.

[0007] An embodiment of a cooking appliance of the present invention canemploy the bowl portion as a deep fat fryer or wok or saucepan. Theaddition of a covering lid that covers the entire cooking surfaces ofthe appliance or selectively covers the bowl portion or hotplate can beprovided. A cover or lid for the entire appliance enables the applianceto be used as a benchtop oven.

[0008] An embodiment of a cooking appliance of the present inventionemploys a single continuous heating element affixed to the undersurfaceof the hotplate. The heating element traverses beneath the hotplate thenfollows a path downwardly and around the mid to lower regions of thebowl portion before again traversing the underside of the hot plate toend in a probe coupling at the perimeter of the hotplate.

[0009] In another embodiment, the path for the electric heating elementaround the bowl portion may be of the form disclosed and claimed in ourAustralian Patent 704420.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present invention will now be described by way of examplewith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of one embodiment of a cookingappliance in accordance with the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the appliance ofFIG. 1 in its assembled condition;

[0013]FIG. 3 is a plan view of the appliance of FIG. 1 with the lidremoved;

[0014]FIG. 4 is the section view for IV-IV of FIG. 3;

[0015]FIG. 5 is the section view for V-V of FIG. 3;

[0016]FIG. 6 is an underside perspective view of the appliance of FIG. 1excluding the lid; and

[0017]FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing a lid which coversonly part of the total cooking surfaces of the appliance.

EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The cooking appliance 10 as shown in the drawings comprises abase member 11 in which is mounted a drip tray/bowl 12.

[0019] Cooking surfaces 13 rest on base 11 via locating pins 14 whichfit within corresponding bores 15 in base 11 Cooking surfaces 13comprise a grilling plate 16 and a bowl portion 17. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1 and 2, lid 18 is shown as being adapted to cover cookingsurfaces 16 and 17.

[0020] As can be seen in FIG. 2, a locating lug 19 underneath bowlportion 17 is adapted to fit within recess 20 in base 11 as a locaterand additional support to bowl 17 when mounted in base 11.

[0021] A single heating element 21 is provided in this embodiment whichfollows the pathway shown on the underside of cooking surfaces 16 and1.7 as clearly shown by FIGS. 2, 3 and 6. The heating rate of element 21is controlled by adjustable switch unit 22 in combination with probe 23in a manner well understood for electrically operated cookingappliances.

[0022] Each of the lid cooking surfaces and base include respectivehandles 24, 25 and 26 which allow each of those parts to beindependently manually transported even when heated by operation ofelement 21.

[0023]FIG. 5 shows that hotplate 16 is formed with elongate ribs wherethe valleys between each rib slope away from bowl portion 17 to directthe flow of fats and other liquid toward receptacle 12 situated beneathorifice 27.

[0024] As will now be readily appreciated by the addressee the applianceof this embodiment can be used for simultaneously deep fat frying foodproducts in bowl 17 while broiling meats and other food products onhotplate 16. In an alternative use bowl 17 can function as a wok forstir-frying vegetables while hotplate 16 is used to broil meats orseafood or the like. In a still further arrangement the appliance can beemployed as an oven once lid 18 is in place so that differing foodproducts can be cooked within bowl 17 and on hotplate 16.

[0025] In another use bowl portion 17 could be employed to boil ricewhile hotplate 16 is broiling a different food product. A still furthermode envisages using the bowl 17 to cook pasta while hotplate 16 cooksanother accompaniment or even different meal. It is envisaged that anembodiment of an appliance of this invention could be used to cook twodiffering meals at the same time as between use of bowl 17 and hotplate16.

[0026] The embodiment of FIG. 7 is identical to that of FIGS. 1 and 2except that lid 18 has been replaced by lid 18′. Lid 18′ is sized tocover bowl portion 17 only rather than bowl 17 and hotplate 16.

[0027] It will be understood by persons skilled in the art that numerousvariations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown inthe specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive.

[0028] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art thatnumerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the variousaspects of the present invention as shown in these specific embodimentswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadlydescribed. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered inall respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

1. A cooking appliance having a recessed bowl portion with a hotplateprojecting substantially horizontally from the rim of the bowl portionin a plane containing the rim of the bowl portion.
 2. A cookingappliance as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hotplate portion iselongated in the direction of a diameter of the mouth of the bowlportion.
 3. A cooking appliance as claimed in claim 2 wherein the widthof the hotplate portion is slightly larger than the diameter of themouth of the bowl portion.
 4. A cooking appliance as claimed in any onethe preceding claims wherein the bowl and hotplate portions are heatedvia a common electrically powered heating element.
 5. A cookingappliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein thehotplate and bowl portions are separable from a base member forsupporting the hotplate and bowl portions when in use.
 6. A cookingappliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims having a coveror lid which covers both hotplate and bowl portions.
 7. A cookingappliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims having a coveror lid adapted to cover only the bowl portion.
 8. A cooking appliancesubstantially as hereinbefore described with reference to theaccompanying drawings.